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More rapid dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol using acclimated bacteria
Ning Yan1, Meng An1, Junyi Chu1
1Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Geographical Science, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, PR China; Yangtze Delta Wetlands Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, PR China.
Bioresource Technology
|January 26, 2021
Summary
Developing specialized bacterial communities enhances the biodegradation of chlorinated phenols. This research created a 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) degrading community that improved the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP).
Area of Science:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Bioremediation
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Anaerobic biodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is crucial for pollutant removal.
- Dechlorination at the para-position of 2,4-DCP is challenging for standard bacterial communities.
- Previous bacterial communities showed limited mineralization of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) due to para-chlorine persistence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate a bacterial community capable of efficiently dechlorinating 4-chlorophenol (4-CP).
- To investigate the biodegradation kinetics of 2,4-DCP and 4-CP using specialized microbial communities.
- To assess the synergistic effects of combining 2,4-DCP-acclimated and 4-CP-acclimated bacterial communities.
Main Methods:
- Selective enrichment of a bacterial community using 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) as the sole substrate.
- Exposure of the enriched community to 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) to evaluate its degradation capabilities.
- Co-culturing of 4-CP-acclimated and 2,4-DCP-acclimated bacterial communities.
- Analysis of biodegradation rates and identification of dominant bacterial genera using 16S rRNA sequencing.
Main Results:
- A specialized 4-CP-dechlorinating bacterial community was successfully generated.
- This community demonstrated limited accumulation of 4-CP when exposed to 2,4-DCP, albeit with slower kinetics.
- Mixing the 4-CP-acclimated community with a 2,4-DCP-acclimated community maintained high 2,4-DCP removal rates and enhanced 4-CP biodegradation.
- Genera such as Treponema, Blvii28, Dechloromonas, Nitrospira, and Thauera were abundant in the 4-CP-degrading biomass.
Conclusions:
- Targeted microbial community engineering can overcome limitations in the anaerobic biodegradation of recalcitrant chlorinated phenols.
- The generated 4-CP-dechlorinating community shows potential for bioremediation applications.
- Synergistic interactions between different microbial populations are vital for efficient degradation of mixed phenolic pollutants.
